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Leadership in the workplace: Caring and staying grounded

In previous articles I have written about responsibility and authority, creating an environment where initiative can be nurtured and other important functions that good leaders do all of the time.

In this article, I want to discuss characteristics of a good leader that include caring and staying grounded.

A guy who has been reading my leadership column called me the other day and told me he served in Vietnam and each day he wrote his fiancée who later became his wife. Finally, he told me, he had the courage to re-read the letters he had sent more than 45 years ago. (Note: His wife has passed).

He asked if I would read some of them and possibly suggest what he could do to share his stories about his unit and the soldiers he led.

He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (1966-1967) and served as a platoon leader, company executive officer and later as a company commander. I told him I would be honored to read some of them and provide my thoughts on what he should do.

He came by my house and dropped off a shoe box containing the letters. Each letter was date organized, which made my reading and following his story much easier. After reading more than 30 letters, I was awed about what he was writing to his lady and the compassion and caring he eloquently described.

As one example: “29 December 1966 (Kontom, RVN) ... Dear Bonnie, Well, today our company got into a big firefight and right now I feel like shooting myself for being back in the rear. I know that my current job is be responsible for resupply and take care of the company’s personal problems but I don’t like it at all. I am going back out tomorrow and tell Captain Molleny that I don’t want my job (executive officer) and that I want to be a platoon leader.”

In subsequent letters, he repeatedly wrote about his unit, his soldiers and the strong feelings he had toward them. He also told of his commitment to being a good soldier and his feeling that to serve was an honor.

He understood the risks associated with being a line officer in a dangerous country and told his sweetheart of his feelings.

This officer’s letters hopefully give the reader an example of “caring.” He cared, and I am sure his soldiers appreciated and respected him more for what he was and what he was doing for them.

Staying grounded is the second point I want to make. It is too common for a person who gets appointed, elected or promoted to a position of leadership to lose track of who they are.

They become “what” they believe they are and often that conflicts with the role of leadership.

I personally fell into this trap. I had been promoted to brigadier general and was visiting Fort Bragg to discuss with senior leaders the changes we should make in soldier equipment. I was responsible for all things relating to the soldier: clothing, food, tents, generators, etc.

While there, I was invited to visit a unit commanded by one of my previous lieutenants who was now a lieutenant colonel. I accepted, and we flew by helicopter to his battalion field location.

He was anxious to show me his units, and the first happen to be a field bakery. We landed near the bakery, and standing near the entrance of the bakery tent was a young female private.

While I listened to the colonel tell me about the bakery unit, I noticed she was watching me intently. Finally, I walked over and asked if I could help or answer any question.

She replied, “Why do you wear that belt?”

General officers are issued a thick black leather belt with an 18-karat gold-plated buckle with an imprint of an eagle.

“I wear it because I am a general,” I told her.

“Why?” she asked again.

I thought about it for a few seconds and said, “Well, it’s to speed up promotions during wartime. When we wear it and the enemy sees it, they know it is a general and they shoot him. Thus another officer can be considered and promoted.”

She liked that answer and nodded her head. My young lieutenant colonel could not contain his laughter.

My point is I was wearing the belt not because I was a general but because I was being a “what.” I never wore the belt again to the field and rarely wore it except for ceremonial events.

A good leader must stay grounded and understand what got him/her promoted was the “why” that separates them from others of equal qualifications.

Caring and being true to one’s self will also create the type of workplace that ensures success.

Take off the belt.

Chuck is the past chairman and CEO of Systems Connect and a retired brigadier general, U.S. Army. He can be contacted by email at chuck@sysconn.com.